In a podcast appearance that has drawn attention across the tech press, Perplexity CEO and co-founder Aravind Srinivas said he still believes the American dream is alive.

Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), the India-born entrepreneur argued that the US continues to stand out because people with new ideas are more likely to be heard, encouraged, and funded than in many other countries.

He said the country’s startup culture rewards risk-taking and makes it easier for founders to challenge established companies. Srinivas, who moved to the US to study at the University of California, Berkeley, co-founded Perplexity in 2022.

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The house where daring ideas still dine

Srinivas said the difference, in his view, is cultural as much as economic. “America’s the only country where you can come here and have an idea,” he told Rogan, adding that “the risk-seeking culture is just incredible.”

He contrasted that with what he described as a stronger tendency elsewhere to defer to authority, while noting that the US still encourages people to pursue ideas that challenge the status quo.

During the discussion, he also said that the American dream, for him, is not simply about money or success but about having people take your ideas seriously.

Srinivas’ journey and outlook

The Perplexity chief also linked his optimism to his own background. Srinivas grew up lower-middle-class in India and said that in his family, even getting a job was considered a major achievement, with Google seen as the ultimate goal.

He said that early experience shaped his appetite for risk and his belief that founders should “be on the offense all the time.” He described the US as a place where newcomers can build ideas that compete with the country’s biggest companies.

Srinivas added bluntly that when he arrived, Google was the company everyone wanted to work for, but the American system still allowed a new entrant to try to take on the giants.

The fine print behind the American promise

His remarks also land against the backdrop of tougher US immigration rules that have raised fresh concern in startup circles. In September 2025, the Trump administration introduced a $100,000 fee for companies sponsoring certain new H-1B visas, a policy now tied up in court.

The move prompted worries that startups would struggle to hire skilled international workers at the same pace as larger firms. Srinivas has previously argued that debates around immigration should focus more on illegal immigration than skilled-worker visas.

Against that policy backdrop, his comments amount to a public defense of the US as the best place for ambitious founders to launch and scale new companies.

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FAQs

Q1: Why does Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas believe in the American dream?

Ans: Aravind Srinivas says the US encourages people to pursue bold ideas and provides a strong ecosystem for startups to secure talent, funding and growth.

Q2: What did Aravind Srinivas say makes the US the best place to build a startup?

Ans: He said America’s culture of rewarding risk-taking and giving new ideas a chance sets it apart from most other countries.